Citing unprecedented economic challenges facing the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, Frank Page, president and chief executive officer of the EC since Oct. 1, announced structural and staffing changes on the Executive Committee staff in two memos sent to Executive Committee members on Nov. 17 and Nov. 29.
Page informed the Executive Committee that he has reduced the EC staff from five divisions to three, combining the duties of two divisions and bringing another into the president’s office. The office of news services and the office of convention relations, separated into two offices since 1991, have been combined back into one office and will become the office of convention communications and relations. Given the economic situation the Executive Committee is facing, Page said he thought it “wise to return to this arrangement, at least for the immediate future.”
Roger S. “Sing” Oldham, current vice president of convention relations since 2007, will assume oversight of the new office. The position of vice president of news services, filled by Will Hall since 2000, has been eliminated. Hall’s last day of service was scheduled for Dec. 3, 2010.
Baptist Press will conduct its work through the new office of convention communications and relations. Art Toalston, editor of Baptist Press since 1992, “will continue to oversee the daily operations of this vital news service to Southern Baptists,” Page wrote.
Reflecting on Hall’s 10 years of service to the EC, Page affirmed his effective leadership in expanding the reach of BP through multiple venues. “Will has been a faithful employee of the Executive Committee for over 10 years,” Page wrote. “His desire to serve the Lord and Southern Baptists has been manifest in many ways over the years that have revealed a lifestyle of integrity and competence. This has been accompanied by a kindness which is deeply profound. He will be personally missed.”
In his Nov. 29 memo, Page also indicated that, “beginning immediately,” the responsibility for Cooperative Program promotion will be housed in his office. He wrote, “I hope Southern Baptists will see in this my desire to give a heightened sense of priority to Cooperative Program promotion by making it a direct responsibility of the president’s office.”
A separate office of Cooperative Program was created in 1997. It was expanded to include stewardship education in 2006. With the duties of Cooperative Program promotion being brought been accompanied by a kindness which is deeply profound. He will be personally missed.”
In his Nov. 29 memo, Page also indicated that, “beginning immediately,” the responsibility for Cooperative Program promotion will be housed in his office. He wrote, “I hope Southern Baptists will see in this my desire to give a heightened sense of priority to Cooperative Program promotion by making it a direct responsibility of the president’s office.”
A separate office of Cooperative Program was created in 1997. It was expanded to include stewardship education in 2006. With the duties of Cooperative Program promotion being brought directly into directly into the president’s office, the vice presidential role filled by Bob Rodgers since 2005 will come to an end on Dec. 10.
Page told Baptist Press that Rodgers had provided invaluable service to the EC by reigniting a passion for biblical stewardship at a time when it seemed to be languishing in denominational life. He wrote in the memo, “Bob is a layman who has a passion for the things of God. Having served the Executive Committee since 2005, he is a man who has served faithfully and brought to our Convention a deep desire to see individual believers as well as churches fulfill the commands of our Lord. He is a delightful human being whose presence will be sorely missed.”
“It is never an easy thing to let staff go from an organization,” Page wrote in his Nov. 29 memo. “This has been an agonizing set of decisions for me to make. Bob and Will have both made significant contributions to Kingdom work.”
Noting that the EC had to operate well below anticipated budget receipts in the fiscal year just ended (Sept. 30, 2010) and is facing the likelihood of even greater budgetary shortfalls in the current year, Page wrote in his Nov. 29 memo, “We must make serious decisions because these are serious times.” He also stated that the staff reductions “will not be the only ones we will need to make in the days ahead.” He asked the EC members to “pray diligently” for him, for the EC staff and “for the work of the entire Executive Committee.” – BP